The Sultan's pleasure on the topic

“Then come tomorrow to the Council, and meantime we will take the Sultan’s pleasure on the topic,” stated the Grand Vizier. Adopted via the streets by the entire Christian inhabitants of Stamboul and Galata, the patriarch stood subsequent day earlier than the Council as soon as extra, and was knowledgeable that His Majesty could be happy to just accept Moslem testimony to the correctness of the assertion that Constantinople had capitulated and was not taken by power. “However O my lord, the witnesses you demand are usually not right here; they’re at Adrianople; and to ship for them and to convey them will contain a delay of twenty days,” pleaded the patriarch. The delay was granted; messengers, supplied with a big sum of cash and different items, have been forthwith despatched to Adrianople; the witnesses sought have been discovered; and shortly they have been welcomed with raptures of pleasure on the gates of the patriarchate. After resting for 2 days, they have been acquired in personal viewers by the Grand Vizier, and have been assured that they may safely affirm regardless of the patriarch would possibly want them to say. Accordingly, at one other assembly of the Council, the patriarch was requested to supply his witnesses, failing which the fetva could be carried out “They’re standing outdoors,” he answered. Two aged males have been then launched, “their eyes operating with rheum and pink as uncooked flesh, their arms and ft trembling beneath the burden of years, their beards white as pushed snow. By no means earlier than had the meeting beheld males so venerable with age.

The primary witness was requested Mustapha

“ What’s your identify?” the primary witness was requested. “Mustapha,” “What was your fathers identify ? ” “ Genouze.” “And (to second witness) what could your identify be ? ” “ Pirez.” “ And your father’s identify?” “Rustem.” “How lengthy is it since Sultan Mehemet took this metropolis ? ” “ Eighty-four years, to a day.” “ How outdated have been you then ? ” “Eighteen.” “How outdated are you now?” “100 and two years outdated.” “Mashallah, Mas- hallah ” (God shield you), exclaimed the members of the Council, and stroked their lengthy beards. “In what capability did you serve underneath Sultan Mehemet ? ” “ As janissaries.” “How was the town taken, by preventing or by give up?” “By give up.” Then adopted a protracted garrulous narrative of the circumstances of the capitulation of the town, all of which went to show the historic trust-worthiness of the whole lot the patriarch had acknowledged on that topic Lastly, a report of those proceedings was drawn up and introduced to the Sultan, who, after expressing his shock, pure or feigned, ordered that the patriarch should not have any additional nervousness concerning the church buildings of his communion “as long as the world stand eth.”